The past years have been an exceptional journey for UNICEF in Niger. The country has made progress in advancing children’s and women’s rights.
The child mortality rate significantly decreased over the past decade from 328 to 95 per 1,000 live birth between 1990 and 2015 thanks to comprehensive health, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions engaged by the Government and its partners.
UNICEF and its partners have led intensive advocacy efforts in the country, leading to substantial developments in legislations, policies, strategies and national programming. UNICEF took a leading role in organizing a roundtable on girls’ education in 2017, resulting in a list of 10 Commitments signed consensually by the Government, Cooperating Partners, Civil Society and traditional, religious and community leaders, a first for Niger. This led to the adoption by the government of a decree in December 2017 for the protection of the girl-child in school to guarantee access and retention until age 16. The government also demonstrated its engagement to tackle child marriage through a pledge to end this harmful practice and develop an action plan, made by the President of Niger during the high-level meeting of the African Union campaign.